Aluminium

Raw Materials Required

The

common raw material for

aluminium production is bauxite.
It is composed primarily of one
or more aluminium hydroxide
compounds, plus silica, iron and
titanium oxides as the main
impurities.

Location Of bauxite
The

major locations of deposits

are found in a wide belt around
the equator. Bauxite is currently
being extracted in Australia (in
excess of 40 million tonnes per
year), Central and South America
(Jamaica, Brazil, Surinam,
Venezuela, Guyana), Africa
(Guinea), Asia (India, China),
Russia, Kazakhstan and Europe
(Greece).

Points to consider when locating

a bauxite plant
Loss

of landscape due to the size of the

chemical plant needed, and in the
production and transport of the electricity.
Noise.
Atmospheric pollution from the various
stages of extraction. For example: carbon
dioxide from the burning of the anodes
(greenhouse effect); carbon monoxide
(poisonous); fluorine (and fluorine
compounds) lost from the cryolite during
the electrolysis process (poisonous).

Pollution

caused by power
generation (varying depending on
how the electricity is generated.)
Disposal of red mud into
unsightly lagoons.
Transport of the finished
aluminium.
Availability of raw materials.

Obtaining Aluminium
Removal
from
ground

Grinding

Heating
with conc.
NaOH

Calcinatio
n

Precipitati
on

Filtration

Smelting

Obtaining Aluminium
The

bauxite is washed and crushed. Lime

and "spent liquor" (caustic soda returned
from the precipitation stage) are added at
the mills to make a pumpable slurry.
Slurry contains sodium aluminate and
undissolved bauxite residues which xcontain
iron, titanium, and silicon.
It is heated with concentrated sodium
hydroxide to dissolve aluminium oxide and
silicon (IV) oxide.
Iron (III)oxide and other basic substances are
removed by filtration.

Carbon

dioxide is blown through the filtered

solution to precipitate aluminum hydroxide
while the silicate ions remain dissolved in
the solution.
2[Al(OH) ] (aq) + CO (g) 2AL(OH) + CO 2
(aq) + H O (l)
Aluminium hydroxide is then filtered,
washed and heated to form pure alumina,
AL O .
2AL(OH) AL O + 3 H O (g)
The aluminium oxide is then electrolysed to
obtain aluminium (smelting).
4

3 (s)

3 (s)

3 (s)

 When

thealumina solution iselectrolyzed

inmolten cryolite (Na3AlF6), pure aluminium
isproduced.
Thereduction cell bottom serves asa cathode,
andcoal bars immersed incryolite serve
asanodes.
Molten aluminium isdeposited under acryolite
solution with 3-5% alumina. During this process,
temperatures reach 950C, considerably higher
than themelting point ofthe metal itself, which
is660C.
Aluminium is given off at the cathode and
oxygen at the anode.

 Cathode

: Al3 + 3e Al

(l)

Anode : 2O2 O2 (g) + 4e

Aluminium does not mix with the electrolyte but
falls to bottom of the container where it can be
tapped off as pure liquid and transported to the cast
house where it is alloyed in holding furnaces by the
addition of other metals (according to the users
needs), cleaned of oxides and gases, and then cast
into ingots.
These can take the form of extrusion billets, for
extruded products, or rolling ingots, for rolled
products, depending on the way it is to be further
processed.

Diagram of the set up of the

electrolysis of aluminium

Impacts of the aluminium

industry
Economical

The high cost of the process because of the

huge amounts of electricity it uses. This is so high
because to produce 1 mole of aluminium which only
weighs 27 g you need 3 moles of electrons. You are
having to add a lot of electrons (because of the high
charge on the ion) to produce a small mass of
aluminium (because of its low relative atomic
mass).
Energy and material costs in constantly replacing
the anodes.
Energy and material costs in producing the cryolite,
some of which gets lost during the electrolysis.

Environmental

Fluoride is the most reactive non-metal on

earth. It is present in cryolite and as such fluoride
gases are produced during the electrolysis.
Only about 2% of the gases escape into the
atmosphere. However, as this gas accumulates it
can have devastating effects on the environment. It
can damage trees many kilometres away.
It can also enter the local food chains. The
symptoms of fluoride damage on animals and
humans include dental mottling, stiffness in knees
and joints, anaemia and respiratory distress.

The

disposal of carbon linings from the HallHeroult Cell is still an issue. This lining is highly
alkaline and contains highly toxic chemicals like
aluminium carbide, cyanide, among other.
Exposure to these chemical can lead to bladder
and lung cancer.
About one tonne of red mud is produced per
tonne of aluminium oxide produced.
The disposal of red mud into unsightly lagoons.
This can have negative effects on wildlife as well
as humans.
The increase in pH of the available water can
destroy ecosystems.

Maraj,

S., & Samai, A. (2011).

Chemistry for CAPE. La Romaine:
Caribbean Educational Publishers.
Clark, J. (2005). Aluminium .
Retrieved October 16, 2013, from
Chemguide: Helping You
Understand Chemistry:
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/inor
ganic/extraction/aluminium.html